Towing or pulling device



A 11,483,253 J.H.TABLER TQWING ORl PULLINGADEVICE Feb. 12, 1924.l

F11-edf June 1922 Patented Feb. l2, i924.

uiten stares JOHN HOWARD TABLER, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT or COLUMBIA.

TOWING on rULI-,ING D'vIcE.

Application filed June 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN HOWARD TABLER, a citizen of the United lStates, residing at lllasliington, District of Colum- 6 bia, have invented a Towing or Pulling Device of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for connecting one vehicle to an 1`0 other for the purpose of towing, such means in the present instance being in rthe form of a flexible strap or band with a device for firmly connecting the ends thereof to the vehicles.

The primary object of my invention is 'to utilize a woven cotton-webbing strap or band for towing automobiles or motor vehicles and provide the same ait each end with a special form of buckle by which to attach the ends of said strap or band in looped connection with the axles or other convenient parts of .bothl vehicles; whereby in the present instance' an economical, strong, and durable towing-strap is furnished that may be easily applied and when not in use can be folded compactly yfor storage in the tool-box of an automobile or motor vehicle.

The invention further contemplates a towing-strap ywith buckle connectionsk in which the buckle maintains a lirm grip on the looped end of the strap to effectually refsist the pulling strain, the gripping action of the buckle being suelr that it does not out, puncture, or otherwise injure the fabric of which the strap is made thereby permi'tting the use of cotton webbing for the purpose.

' llVith these principal objects in view my invention contemplates providing a towingstra-p comprising a Woven cotton-webbing strap or band and buckles ofva particular construction through' which the end portions of saidstrap or band are threaded for looped engagement therewith; all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig, l is a side elevation illustrating the application of my invention'.

Fig. l2 is an edge view of the towingstrap showing the ends thereof in looped engagement with the buckles. n d

. Fig. 3 is an'enlarged plan view of one end of the towing strap. Fig. 4l is a longitudii'ia'lsectional view 1922. serial No. 566,261.

through the buckle and portions lof the'v strap threaded therein.

l; ig. 5 is a detail plan view of the buckle, an

Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal sectional 60 view through the buckle. In carrying out my invention the strap or band A is made preferably ofyco'tton webbing tightly woven and of a width and thclmess to withstand the pulling 'strain to which it will be subjected, the ends thereof being provided with the usual 'metal tips t tov prevent the material from f1'ayin, :,r.` I have found that a cotton webbing f' strap about two inches wide and an 'eighth' of an inch thick will be sufli'ciently strong to tow an. automobile. or truck of considerable weight over a roadway and up an ordinary grade, and in yorder to securely attach the ends of a ywebbing strap of .this size to the l vehicles l have devised a. particular form of buckle B through which the said strap is threaded back and forth to provide a loop as i embracing the aXle al, cross-bar e, or other part of the vehicle. A buckle is used at each end of the towing-,strap to provide the required loops for attachment to both vehicles, and as these ,buckles are identical in construction a description of one will apply also to the other, and likewise the ends of the strap `are similarly connected to each buckle.

rThe bucklel employe'inl the present situation is made in one piece or a single casting to comprise side pieces 8 8 connected at their ends respetivelynby y cross pieces 9 9 and intermediately by cross-bars 10 and l1, leaving spaces or slots between them for threading the strapin engagement with said buckle in the particular1 manner hereino5' after explained, the aforesaid cross-pieces being provided with outwardly projecting lifting tongues 9EL to facilitate thek adjust ment of the strap. reference to the detail views of the buckle (Figs. 5 and 6) it will be noted that thespaceor slot ,l2 between the cross-bar l0 and adjoining cross-piece 9, at what may be designated as the front end of the buckle, is wider Vthan the other two spaces or slots 13 and 14 between ,the cross-bars 10` and l1 and crosspiece 9 at` the rear end of the buckle, said last mentioned Slotsy being approaimatly the same width, and it will be noted also that the crossbar ll is at a little higher los Vso

elevation than the companion cross-bar l0, the upper edge of the latter being substantially 4on a plane with the upper edges of the cross-pieces 9 9. The particular disposition of the cross-bars with respect to the crosspieces and to each other provide for tightly binding the strap within the buckle when it is threaded therethrough in the manner shown in the drawings, that is to say under the front end of the buckle up through slot l2 over the cross-bar l0 and out through slot 13 below the cross-bar ll and cross-piece 9 at the rear end of the buckle, then after forming the loop a in the strap 'the terminal portion thereof is again threaded through the buckle 1n reverse direction by passing it forwardly bctween the rear cross-piece 9 and strap up through slot lil; over the cross-bars 1l and l0 and finally out of the buckle through slot 12 and between the strap and front cross-piece 9. lt will be understood, of course, that in attaching the strap to the axle of the vehicle the portion thereof that is drawn through and beyond the rear end of the buckle to form the loop is passed around the axle before threading the end forwardly through said buckle, also that the length of the loop and end of the strap projecting in front of the buckle may be varied to increase or decrease the length of the towing-strap.

By connecting the ends of the strap to the buckles in the manner hereinbefore described, and `when the device is being` used as a towing-strap, the 'greater amount of pull or direct pull will be on that portion of the strap between the buckles and the lower portion of eac-h loop including the aart thereof extending through the buckle, and consequently that part of said lower portion of the loop which cooperates with the buckle will tightly bind the upper portion ofv said loop or end portion of the strap against the cross-pieces 9 9, thereby pre venting said end portion of the strap from slipping through the buckle and consequent ly firmly and securely connecting the de` vice to the axle-the effective binding of the end of the strap within the buckle againsty the cross-pieces 9 9 being produced by the cooperation of the cross-bars 10 and 1l, and is augmented by the additional gripping action of said cross-bars on the upper and lower port-ions of t-he loop which pass over the cross-bars above the plane of the lower surfaces of the cross-pieces. By this arrangement, therefore, the end of the strap extending from the connection with the axle is firmly held, gripped, or bound within the buckle in such manner that the greater the pulling stra-in on the towing-strap the tighter kthe hold on the end of the strap, and as no part of the buckle cuts, punctures or otherwise injures the fabric of the strap there is no danger of the latter breaking at this point from such a cause. As will be readily seen the strap is merely threaded back and forth through the buckle over the cross-bars 10 and ll and under the cross-pieces 9 9, and as said strap is preferably made of cotton webbing and of more than ordinary thickness the threading of the same in this particular manner can be readily accomplished.

The reason for providing a wider slot at the forward end of the buckle, between the cross-bar l0 and front cross-piece 9, than those in the rear is that two th'ick. nesses of the strap passes through said first mentioned slot whereas only a single thickness passes through the other two slots, and the lowering of the cross-bar l0 with respect to the cross-bar 1l provides for the double thickness of strap passing over the same.

A towing strap when made in accordance with my invention to comprise a tightly woven cotton-webbing strap or band A with the buckles B connecting the looped ends of said strap or band will provide an economical and convenient means for connecting one automobile to another for the purpose of towing and when in use it is not only quickly and easily applied but possesses the required strength to pull automobiles or loaded trucks over roadways and up ordinary grades. Furthermore, the durability of the device is enhanced by the fact that the material of the strap itself is not subjected to injurious Wear by engagement of the buckles therewith in fastening the same to the vehicles. Other advantages of this particular form of towing-strap will appear in its use, and although the buckle is very effective when constructed as herein shown and described it will be obvious that the same may be modified in some respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Although the strap may be applied Without a reinforcement or wear-plate it may be necessary in some instances, such as attach ing the towing-strap to an axle or brace-bar having angular corners, to provide an attachment of this kind, and have therefore shown in Figs. 3 and t a wear-plate C having loops c struck out from the same to receive the strap.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. A pulling device comprising a flexible strap in connection with buckles each formed in a single piece having side pieces, end cross-pieces and intermediate cross-bars, one of said cross-bars being slightly raised with respect to the other, whereby an end portion of the strap is threaded through and beyond the buckle formed into a loop and the terminal again threaded in reverse direction through said buckle for binding engagement therewith and with another portion of the strap therein, providing engaging loops at the ends of the strap.

2. A pulling device comprising a flexible strap in connection with buckles each formed in a single piece having side pieces, end cross-pieces and intermediate cross-bars with rounded upper and lower edges, said crossbars b-eing spaced apart from each other and from the cross-pieces, whereby an end portion of the strap is threaded directly through and beyond said buckle over one cross-bar formed into a loop and the terminal again threaded directly through the buckle in reverse direction over the other cross-bar 'between the strap and opposite cross-pieces to bind said terminal to the body portion of the strap at the inner end of the loop providing engaging loops at the opposite ends of the strap.

3. A pulling device comprising a flexible strap and buckles to which the end portions of the strap are attached to provide loops for connecting said towing strap to the vehicles, each buckle being in a single piece to present side pieces, end cross-pieces, an intermediate cross-bar adjoining one of the cross-pieces to leave a slot receiving two thicknesses of the strap, and a companion cross-bar between the aforementioned crossbar and other cross-piece to leave opposite slots receiving a single thickness of the strap, whereby an end of said strap is threaded through and beyond the buckle over the irst mentioned cross-bar formed into a loop and the terminal again threaded in reverse direction through the buckle over the last mentioned cross-bar and between the strap and opposite cross-piece, binding the terminal portion of the strap between the end cross-pieces and body of said strap, substantially as shown and described.

et. A pulling device comprising a flexible strap and buckles to which the end portions of the strap for connecting said towing strap to the vehicles, each buckle beinoin a single piece to present side pieces, end cross-pieces, an intermediate cross-bar adjoining one of the cross-pieces on substantially a horizontal lane therewith and yspaced therefrom to eave a slot receiving two thicknesses of the strap, and a companion cross-bar. between the aforementioned cross-bar and other cross-piece at a higher elevation than said first mentioned cross-bar and spaced to leave opposite slots each receiving a single thickness of the strap, whereby an end of the strap is threaded through and beyond the buckle over the first mentioned cross-bar then formed into a loop and the terminal again threaded in reverse direct-ion through the buckle over the last mentioned cross-bar and between the strap and opposite crosspiece, binding the terminal portion of the strap between the end cross-pieces and other part of the strap within the buckle, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN HOWARD TABLER.

are attached to provide loops 

